Kate Oatley Coaching

You don’t have to hate your job to know something needs to change.

Many of the women I work with are good at what they do. They’re experienced, capable and hardworking.

From the outside, everything looks fine but underneath, they tell me things like:
✨ “I’ve lost my confidence.”
✨ “I feel stuck.”
✨ “I don’t know what I want anymore.”
✨ “I know I’m capable of more, but I don’t know what.”

Often, it’s not a lack of ability holding them back. It’s self-doubt, fear of making the wrong decision, or simply being so busy they’ve never stopped to ask themselves what they really want.

That’s where coaching comes in.

Together we’ll explore what matters most to you, uncover the strengths you may have forgotten, challenge the beliefs keeping you small, and create a realistic plan for your next step.

Whether you’re looking for a promotion, preparing for interviews, thinking about a career change, returning to work after a break, or wondering if it’s finally time to do something completely different, you don’t have to figure it out on your own.

A fulfilling career doesn’t have to focus solely on climbing the highest ladder. It’s entirely possible to find work that’s aligned with your values, uses your strengths and gives you energy instead of draining it.

If you’ve been wondering what’s next, perhaps this is your sign to start asking the question.

📩 Send me a message on here if you’d like to find out how I can support you.

So much of my work as a coach is about helping women stop believing they need to be “fixed”.

Whether we’re talking about confidence, career, wellbeing or health, lasting change rarely comes from constantly trying to improve ourselves. More often, it comes from understanding what’s really going on and giving ourselves the support we need.

That’s why I’m so pleased to be sharing this latest guest blog for Kate Oatley Coaching from Nutritional Therapist and Health Coach aka Amy Emery.

Amy works with clients to understand the connection between nutrition, hormones, stress and the nervous system. Her approach is compassionate, evidence-based and refreshingly realistic.

Her latest blog, You Don’t Need Fixing, You Just Need Supporting, is a gentle reminder that feeling tired, overwhelmed or out of sorts doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It doesn’t always mean you need another plan, another routine or another thing to optimise.
Sometimes, what you need most is curiosity, compassion and support.

It’s a message I think so many women need to hear.
You can read the full blog via the link in my bio (or on my website if you’re reading this on LinkedIn). I’d love to know what resonates with you most.

Have you ever felt like you needed fixing, when actually you just needed supporting?


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Feeling stuck has a way of making everything feel a bit heavy and slow, like you are walking through mud even when you are trying really hard to move forward.

You might be doing all the right things on paper. Thinking, planning, researching, trying to push through. Yet something still feels blocked, like your energy is split in too many directions and nothing quite lands.

When we work together, we do not rush to fix you or overhaul your life in one big dramatic swoop. We slow things down enough to actually hear what is going on underneath all the noise. Most people are surprised by how much they already know, they have just stopped trusting it.

After coaching, clients often tell me they feel more grounded in themselves. Decisions feel less like a battle and the constant overthinking starts to settle, not because life is suddenly simple, but because they are no longer carrying everything alone in their head.

There is a shift in how you relate to yourself with less second guessing, less spinning and more action that actually feels like you.

And from there, things start to move again in a way that feels more steady and intentional.

If you are feeling stuck right now, it is usually a sign that something in your life is asking to be looked at differently.

Come and chat with me about how I can support you through this process. I offer a free 30 minute mini coaching session where we can work out what’s going on for you.

Confidence isn’t something I just give to clients.
It’s something we build together, slowly, like strength in a muscle you forgot you had.

Most people I work with don’t actually lack confidence. They’ve just spent a long time ignoring their own voice, second-guessing decisions, and trying to do life in a way that feels acceptable rather than aligned.

So here’s what we actually do in coaching -

1. We spot where you’ve gone quiet on yourself, noticing the tiny moments you say “I’m fine” when you’re not, or agree to things you didn’t really want to do.

2. We separate facts from the loud internal commentary - that inner voice that says “you’re not ready” or “you’ll mess it up” isn’t truth. We learn to question it, not obey it.

3. We build evidence, not affirmations
Confidence grows when you start collecting proof that you can act, decide, speak, and recover. Even (especially) in small ways.

4. We practise being seen in low-risk ways first, whether that’s speaking up in a meeting, sending the email or saying no without a long apology attached. Tiny steps repeated, that add up.

5. We work with your nervous system, not against it because your body needs to learn you are safe to take up space.

Over time, we begin to see change happening.

You stop asking “am I allowed to do this?”
and start asking “is this actually right for me?”

If confidence has felt like something other people have and you’re still trying to “get”, send me a message and we can chat about how coaching can support you.

Have you ever been so busy, stressed, or caught up in the demands of life that you suddenly realise you haven’t eaten for hours, you’re exhausted, or you’ve been holding tension in your shoulders all day?

There’s a name for the sense that helps us notice what’s happening inside our body: interoception.

Interoception is our ability to read and interpret the signals our body is constantly sending us. It helps us recognise hunger, thirst, tiredness, temperature, pain, a racing heart, butterflies in our stomach, or the feeling that something simply doesn’t feel right.

The challenge is that when we’re operating in survival mode, rushing from one thing to the next, dealing with stress or overwhelm, we often override these signals. We push through tiredness, ignore the need for a break, dismiss feelings of anxiety, or stay in conversations long after our body is telling us it’s time to step away.

Over time, many of us become disconnected from this remarkable internal guidance system.

The good news is that interoception can be strengthened. Simple practices such as body scans, mindful walks, breathwork, yoga, or simply pausing for a moment and asking, What am I feeling right now? What do I need? can help us reconnect with our body’s wisdom.

Your body is talking to you all day long. The question is, are you listening?

“Burnout is like revving an engine for too long.”

That analogy came from Pippa Grange on Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s podcast, and it really stayed with me.

Many of us spend our days operating at full throttle, believing that slowing down is a luxury rather than a necessity. But just like a car isn’t designed to stay in the same gear all the time, neither are we.

Pippa talked about the importance of shifting gears throughout life, tuning into what is happening beneath the surface rather than simply pushing on.

One practice she shared was placing one hand on your heart and one on your stomach and asking:
What do I feel?
What do I need?

I was fascinated to learn that in Japanese culture, the “hara” (belly) is often viewed as a centre of wisdom and intuition. Instead of looking only to the head for answers, there is value in listening to what the body is trying to tell us.

If you’ve been feeling exhausted, disconnected, or as though you’re running on fumes, this episode is well worth a listen.

Sometimes the answer isn’t working harder.
It’s noticing that you’re stuck in the wrong gear.
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/feel-better-live-more-with-dr-rangan-chatterjee/id1333552422?i=1000767372694

Today marks the first day of summer.

Not the Instagram version of summer filled with perfect picnics, endless sunshine and beautifully curated memories, but the real summer. The one that arrives whether life feels organised or chaotic.

There’s often pressure to make the most of these next few months. To achieve more, do more and create the “best summer ever” making memories.

But what if this summer wasn’t about doing more?
What if it was about doing a few small things differently? Try these…

🌿 Pause before saying yes to every request.
🌿 Keep a summer done list and celebrate what you’ve achieved instead of focusing on what you haven’t.
🌿 Swap ten minutes of scrolling for ten minutes of reading something that inspires, teaches or simply brings you joy.

As a coach, I’ve learned that the habits that create the biggest shifts are the small, consistent actions that gradually change how we think, feel and show up in our lives.

So as we step into a new season, ask yourself -
What’s one small habit your future self will thank you for by the end of summer?

I’d love to hear what’s on your list. ☀️

You’ve worked hard for your degree.

You’ve ticked all the boxes, submitted the applications, and spent hours tailoring your CV.

So why does securing a graduate job still feel so difficult?

The truth is, employers are often looking for more than qualifications alone. Small changes in how you approach your applications, interviews, and even your mindset can make a bigger difference than you might think.

I’ve just published a new blog sharing some of the things I wish every graduate knew before starting their job search.

If you’re about to graduate, supporting a young person entering the workplace, or wondering why applications aren’t turning into interviews, this one’s for you.

🔗 Link in bio to read the full blog.

For a long time, I thought success meant working harder, achieving more and learning how to fit into spaces that never quite felt like home.

Looking back, my experience of burnout wasn’t simply about having too much on my plate. It came from spending years trying to meet expectations, adapting myself to fit different environments and losing sight of what mattered most to me in the process.

My career has never followed a neat, predictable path. I’ve worked across education, government, coaching, mentoring and now entrepreneurship, and there have been plenty of moments when I’ve questioned whether I should have chosen a more conventional route.

What I’ve come to realise is that every role, every pivot and every unexpected turn has taught me something valuable. Rather than seeing a squiggly career as a sign of inconsistency, I now see it as a collection of experiences that have given me skills, perspective and a much deeper understanding of myself.

One of the biggest lessons has been accepting that I don’t fit every mould, and that’s perfectly okay. The moment I stopped trying to become the person I thought I should be and started paying attention to my values, strengths and what genuinely brings me fulfilment, everything began to feel a little lighter.

If you’ve ever looked at your career path and worried that it doesn’t make sense, perhaps it makes more sense than you think.

Your calendar might not be the problem; your energy might be.

We’re surrounded by advice on how to manage our time better. From colour-coded diaries and productivity hacks to morning routines and Apps designed to squeeze every last drop out of the day.

But no planner in the world can fix exhaustion. When your energy is low, everything feels harder. Simple tasks take longer and decision-making gets foggy - you find yourself running on autopilot instead of living with intention.

One of the biggest misconceptions I see in coaching is women believing they need to “try harder” when what they really need is to pay attention to what restores them.

A few small shifts can make a huge difference -
✨ Protect your best energy for what matters most
✨ Stop treating every task as equally urgent
✨ Notice which people, places and habits leave you feeling energised and which leave you drained
✨ Build moments of recovery into your day before burnout forces you to stop

Im not suggesting a complete overhaul, rather just 15 intentional minutes for a walk before opening your emails, a coffee in the garden, a quiet lunch away from your desk, a yoga class, or 5 minutes with a journal.

💛 What is one small thing that helps you recharge when life feels full?

Save this post for the days when you’re convinced you need a better diary, when what you might actually need is a little more restoration. 🌿